Keep it simple, Charlie Brown

Ages ago (and if I could remember exactly when it was I'd put in a link) the Girl and I attended something called "A Day of Simple Giving".  Organised by Grassroot Givers, it was an opportunity for people to get together and make things to be donated to various local charities such as homeless shelters.  There was another such day today, and people were putting together gift baskets of toiletries, decorating cookies for the food pantry, filling bags with bean soup ingredients and various other activities.  The kids had a go at making stress balls by filling balloons with rice, while I knitted a dishcloth (like you do).

There was a good turnout for the event - lots of families, a whole load of Girl Scouts, and quite a few people I knew from the Farmers' Market, school, 4H and other places.  A team of older teenagers led younger kids and anyone else so inclined in all the dance routines, from YMCA to the Cha-Cha Slide.  There was a cheery atmosphere, and the event succeeded in raising awareness and activitating creativity in support of some worthwhile causes.  I'm glad we went along. 

This evening, as an antidote to that dose of worthiness, the Man, Boy and I made a trip to the Mall, where it's Christmas-business-as-usual.  The Boy lingered longingly (but hopelessly) around the Holiday lawn ornaments - he was particuarly taken with this enormous inflatable snowglobe featuring a couple of his current favourite characters.  Sadly for him he doesn't have the sort of  fun parents who would ever buy anything remotely like this.